Audience development for galleries

What gallery audience work usually looks like

A gallery audience project tends to cover some or all of the following.

• A briefing on the exhibition, the audience you want and the dates
• Targeted outreach to community groups, schools, family workers and individuals from my list
• Clear, honest communication with audiences about what they will see and how to plan their visit
• Practical support for first-time visitors who may not have been to a gallery before
• Surveys and feedback from the audiences and group leaders who came
• A plan for keeping those audiences engaged with the next exhibition

Coming back without my encouragement

The thing I want most for the gallery audiences I work with is for them to come back without me. Once they have been the first time, the second time, the third time, my job is done. They know the space is for them. They feel comfortable in it. They are confident to bring their friends and family.

That is when an audience becomes a real audience. Not a one-off invitation list. A community of visitors who choose to be there.

A gallery exhibition I am particularly proud of

I supported an intergenerational exhibition by a new artist to the UK from the Bahamas. The exhibition ran over the summer holidays. His work was eclectic and it touched the community. Families came together, from grandmothers to three-year-olds, and the response from people of every age was wonderful.

It was a perfect example of what gallery audience work can do when it is done well. It was not about putting bums on seats. It was about creating an experience that whole families wanted to be part of.

Questions gallery clients often ask

Can you target a specific community for an exhibition? Yes. My list is genuinely diverse and I can target particular cultural communities, age groups or audience types depending on the brief.

Do you cover galleries outside London? Yes. My contacts span the UK, particularly in regional cities where I have worked over the years.

Can you support a whole season, not just one exhibition? Yes. Season-long support gives the audience development work much more depth and is often more rewarding for both sides.

Will the audience come back? That is the goal of every project. The aim is for the audiences I bring in to feel confident in your space and to keep coming back.